Apartment proposed at 3100 W. Lake St.

Project could be six, nine or 13 stories.

Denver-based Brickstone Partners has proposed a 200-unit apartment building at 3100 W. Lake St., a property just north of Lake Calhoun. Image courtesy Brickstone Partners

A Denver-based developer has unveiled three designs for a proposed 200-unit apartment at 3100 W. Lake St., a property just north of Lake Calhoun.

Brickstone Partners presented the proposal for an apartment building of six, nine or 13 stories to the Cedar-Isles-Dean Neighborhood Association on Dec. 12.

The apartment would be located on the north side of West Lake Street and bordered by the Lake Calhoun Flats Apartments, the Loop Calhoun Condominiums and the Lake Point Condos.

The property is currently home to a 50,000-square-foot office building, which would be demolished.

A 13-story tower would be constructed of “high-quality concrete and high-end finishes,” according to a Brickstone press release. It would allow for “significant” green space between the adjacent properties and would maximize open space.

The nine-story building would be C-shaped and made of concrete and wood. It would have slightly less open space than the 13-story option.

A six-story building would have a wood frame and a donut shape. It would be much like standard six-story, multi-family projects prevalent in the marketplace, according to Brickstone, and would offer a more continuous fabric façade along Lake Street. The option offers the least open space.

All three options would include about 200 units, 295 underground parking spaces and amenities such as a rooftop pool, a fitness center and yoga rooms. Brickstone Principal Dan Otis said the goal would be to include a gourmet coffee shop and juice bar at street level.

Otis said he believes the 13-story design is the best fit because it allows for more green space and a “responsible footprint.”

“It opens up about 100-plus feet of additional green space,” he said. “It creates more of a park-like setting.”

Otis said the intent is to develop a luxury- apartment community. He said for-sale condos would only work if the building were 13 stories tall.

The property is currently zoned OR2, which limits building heights to the lesser of 56 feet or four stories. The site is located within a shoreland overlay district, which limits building height to 35 feet. Brickstone could apply for a conditional use permit to exceed the height limits, however.

The existing properties north and west of the site are five stories, according to the neighborhood association’s land use and development committee.

Brickstone has been involved in more than 2.1 million square feet of office, retail and multi-family investment and development since its founding in 2001. Minneapolis- based ESG Architects will serve as the project architect, and Adolfson & Peterson Construction will serve as the general contractor.

Brickstone bought the property for $8 million in August 2015. The neighborhood association asked for the three options based on the firm’s original plan for a taller building.

“It was really kind of a nonstarter,” said Bob Corrick, chair of the association’s land- use and development committee. He said traffic and lane closures are concerns for the project, noting that his committee has requested a traffic study from Brickstone.

The neighborhood association has not yet chosen which, if any, of the three design it favors. Corrick’s committee will hold a public hearing on the project Jan. 26, and the neighborhood association board of directors could take a formal position on Feb. 8.